Vegas Week... A Poker Business Trip

Wednesday afternoon we hopped in the Jeep and headed out to Vegas for a few days. This was strictly a trip for poker tournaments. I allowed for a $300 bankroll.. $150 each day.  We arrived just after 6pm and rushed to check in and head to the 1st tournament. I planned to play in a 8pm $120 tournament at Binions. I liked the structure.. 10K starting chips and 30min levels. I literally ran to the tournament because I was late and didn't want to have to wait to start as an alternate. Luckily, I made it. However, this was not the tournament tonight. It was only a $55 buy in and that usually means less chips and less time per level. Ok, fine. I'm here. I'm in. Well, the structure was horrible.  3K starting chips and 15min levels. This is like one of those horrible turbo online tournaments. Not good. I'm out in an hour.

I break a rule and have 2 cocktails.. then grab some dinner at Golden Nugget. I decide not to drink at dinner because I plan to buy in to the $75 tournament at Binions.  6K starting chips and 20 min levels. Did I mention I left my iphone at the table in the 1st tournament, freaked out, ran back... thankfully the poker room manager had it. Ugh.. my panic. Not good.  Anyway, I head back over for the 2nd tournament. Lots of drunk players. Lots of annoying people.. oh, those are the same. I mean.. people who just don't know what they are doing really.. so you can't play your game against them. It doesn't do any good to try and over play players that don't know what you are trying to tell them with your play.. you'll get the opposite reaction you want most of the time.. This has been very frustrating to me playing at low levels because of my small bankroll. I believe my skill is beyond my bankroll.. Well.. I'm freaked out by one player who won't stop talking about my hair.. and shares his fascination with my gentlemen friend, who is watching the game. Again, I'm out in an hour. I'll spare the bad beat stories.. they're not worth it against players like this.

I decide on day 2 of this trip I will play at Caesars in their Thursday 12pm tournament. Usually I am here on the weekends and the buy ins are doubled.. but since it's mid week I'd like to take advantage of that and play here. I also have some college basketball bets to make, which I will do at Caesars. The buy in is $125 +10 add on (at registration).  I'm in for the $135 starting with 7500 in chips and 30 min levels. The players are much better and I am playing very well. This is great.  In a hand against a good player from Florida I am reinforced a lesson about betting amounts. I knew my opponent had me beat but I felt they were not confident in their hand and when the flush card came out I could have gotten them off their hand. I bet small-ish in hopes it was read as a "call me bet" because I made my flush. He mulled it over for awhile feeling he was beat but then did the math and realized I was giving him 3:1 to call. He couldn't resist those odds and ended up beating me with his kicker. There were 74 players in this tournament and I was moving my chip stack up in a confident and comfortable way. We were down to 32 people when I made a poorly timed play and was instantly called because my opponent just made his straight on that card. What a shame. I was so upset with myself. I was out. All that work and I was out. 3 1/2hrs of play... for nothing.. a great prize pool gone.

I headed to the main casino floor, grabbed some lunch, met my gentlemen friend for a drink and watched some of the basketball games. I shook off my loss and over analyzed my play to death.. I decided with the left over Planet Hollywood chips I had from my last visit I'd play in their 7pm tournament. It's kind of freerolling since these chips were not included in the original bankroll. Now, I know the players are bad and the tables are extremely poorly positioned in the casino.. but I play anyway. Freeroll, why not? I start off playing recklessly and self destructive. My ego can't take 4 for 4 losses for this trip I need to get my act together. I play well and make some great calls. I end up at the final table as the chip leader. We get down to 5.. and the top 4 pay. I've become the short stack due to the blinds and not taking out the small stacks. I try to offer up a chop 5 ways so no one is out on the bubble.. as in.. me.  This would pay out about 340 each. The guy who I doubled up and went on a short run to become the new chip leader says no way. We play on. I'm the big blind the very next hand and see QQ. The small blind puts me all in and doubles me up. Perfect.. play on. Next the bubble goes out.. and we have 4. We play on and I gain more chips and the karma comes back for the former chip leader as he is eliminated in 4th for $180. I offer a chop again because the blinds have turned this into roulette. We all agree for an even chop and walk with $550 each.

Fantastic. I'm so excited.  I end up leaving Vegas with an extra $285 in poker money. Looks like I will be freerolling in the WSOP Circuit Ladies event in Harrahs Rincon on Saturday.. that takes some of the pressure off... and it's only $125 buy in.

We leave Friday morning early and I'm tired.. late nights and early mornings don't agree with me.. I have lots of LA traffic in my future, I'm getting sick and I have to rush home and prepare my apartment and take my cats out for a yearly carpet cleaning..... The cats and I are not happy.